Firstly, the labels attached to pictures of the design appear to be reasonably legitimate, even to the untrained eye.

And from a purely aesthetic perspective, United supporters will notice the watermarks emblazoned on the black shirt, which appear to be a homage to the much revered 1992 away kit United wore in that year's League Cup final.

The 20-times English champions will not don the new strips on the four-match United States tour, though. Nike's contract with United runs until the end of July and Adidas are expected to reveal their new kit on August 1.

Nike replaced Umbro as United's kit supplier in 2002 while Adidas are about to start their second stint with United, having designed the club's kits from 1980-92.